North America

The Ancient Forests of North America are extremely diverse. They include the boreal forest belt stretching between Newfoundland and Alaska, the coastal temperate rainforest of Alaska and Western Canada, and the myriad of residual pockets of temperate forest surviving in more remote regions.

Together, these forests store huge amounts of carbon, helping tostabilise climate change. They also provide a refuge for large mammalssuch as the grizzly bear, puma and grey wolf, which once ranged widelyacross the continent.

In Canada it is estimated that ancient forest provides habitat forabout two-thirds of the country's 140,000 species of plants, animalsand microorganisms. Many of these species are yet to be studied byscience.

The Ancient Forests of North America also provide livelihoods forthousands of indigenous people, such as the Eyak and Chugach people ofSouthcentral Alaska, and the Hupa and Yurok of Northern California.

Of Canada's one million indigenous people (First Nation, Inuit andMétis), almost 80 percent live in reserves and communities in boreal ortemperate forests, where historically the forest provided their foodand shelter, and shaped their way of life.